Chrysanthemum plant named Yoolympia

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yoolympia’, characterized by its uniform, upright and outwardly spreading plant habit; strong and freely branching growth habit; dark green-colored foliage; uniform flowering habit; early flowering habit; large decorative-type inflorescences; white-colored ray florets; and excellent postproduction longevity with plants maintaining good substance and color for about five weeks in an interior environment.

Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Chrysanthemum×morifoliumcultivar Yoolympia.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium andhereinafter referred to by the name ‘Yoolympia’.

The new Chrysanthemum is a product of a planned breeding programconducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif. and Fort Myers, Fla. Theobjective of the breeding program is to create new potted Chrysanthemumcultivars that are suitable for year-round production with uniform plantgrowth habit, good vigor, desirable inflorescence form and floretcolors, fast response time, and good postproduction longevity.

The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross made by the Inventor inNovember, 1997, in Salinas, Calif., of a proprietary Chrysanthemumseedling selection identified as code number YB-4620, not patented, asthe female, or seed, parent with a proprietary Chrysanthemum seedlingselection identified as code number YB-5334, not patented, as the male,or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected bythe Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of thestated cross grown in a controlled environment in Fort Myers, Fla. inDecember, 1998. The selection of this plant was based on its uniformplant growth habit, desirable inflorescence form and ray floret colors,fast response time, and excellent postproduction longevity.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by vegetative tip cuttingswas first conducted in Fort Myers, Fla. in March, 1999. Asexualreproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this newChrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successivegenerations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Yoolympia has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength, and/or lightlevel, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Yoolympia’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Yoolympia’ as a new and distinct Chrysanthemum:

1. Uniform, upright and outwardly spreading plant habit.

2. Strong and freely branching growth habit.

3. Dark green-colored foliage.

4. Uniform flowering habit.

5. Early flowering, 7.5-week response time.

6. Large decorative-type inflorescences.

7. White-colored ray florets.

8. Excellent postproduction longevity with plants maintaining goodsubstance and color for about five weeks in an interior environment.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ primarily from plants of thefemale parent selection in ray floret coloration as plants of the newChrysanthemum have white-colored ray florets whereas plants of thefemale parent selection have golden bronze-colored ray florets. Inaddition, plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower about three to fourdays earlier than plants of the female parent selection.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ primarily from plants of the maleparent selection in inflorescence form as plants of the newChrysanthemum have fully double (decorative)-type inflorescences whereasplants of the male parent selection have semi-double-typeinflorescences.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of thecultivar Surf, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,585. In side-by-sidecomparisons conducted in Salinas, Calif., plants of the newChrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Surf in the followingcharacteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were larger, broader and morevigorous than plants of the cultivar Surf.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about three or four daysearlier than plants of the cultivar Surf.

3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had larger inflorescences than plantsof the cultivar Surf.

4. Ray floret color of plants of the new Chrysanthemum did not “pink”when grown under cool growing conditions whereas ray floret color ofplants of the cultivar Surf did “pink” when grown under cool growingconditions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new Chrysanthemum showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ from the color values cited in the detailedbotanical description which accurately describe the colors of the newChrysanthemum.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective viewof typical flowering plants of ‘Yoolympia’ grown as disbud-types.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view oftypical inflorescences of ‘Yoolympia’ grown as disbud-types.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where generalterms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The aforementionedphotographs, following observations and measurements describe plantsgrown and flowered during the fall in Salinas, Calif., in afiberglass-covered greenhouse and under conditions which approximatethose generally used in commercial potted Chrysanthemum production.During the production of these plants, the following conditions weremeasured: day temperatures, 21 to 27° C.; night temperatures, 17 to 19°C.; and light levels, 5,000 to 6,000 foot-candles. Four unrootedcuttings were directly stuck in 15-cm containers, exposed to longday/short night conditions, and pinched once about 14 days later. At thetime of the pinch, the photoinductive short day/long night treatmentswere initiated. Plants used for the photographs and description weregrown as disbud-types. Measurements and numerical values representaverages of typical flowering plants.

Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Yoolympia.

Commercial classification: Daisy-type potted Chrysanthemum.

Parentage:

Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary Chrysanthemum×morifolium seedlingselection identified as code number YB-4620, not patented.

Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary Chrysanthemum×morifolium seedlingselection identified as code number YB-5334, not patented.

Propagation:

Type.—Terminal tip cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—About four days at 21° C.

Time to produce a rooted cutting.—About ten days at 21° C.

Root description.—White, close to 155D; fibrous.

Rooting habit.—Freely branching.

Plant description:

Appearance.—Herbaceous decorative-type potted Chrysanthemum that istypically grown as a disbud-type. Uniform with lateral branches uprightand outwardly spreading; uniformly mounded crown. Strong and freelybranching growth habit; about five lateral branches develop afterremoval of terminal apex (pinching); dense and full plants.

Plant height.—About 30 cm.

Plant width.—About 48 cm.

Lateral branches (peduncles).—Length: About 24 cm. Diameter: About 5 mm.Internode length: About 1.3 cm. Stength: Strong. Texture: Pubescent.Color: Close to 146A.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate; simple. Length: About 8.75cm. Width: About 5.8 cm. Apex: Acute to cuspidate. Base: Attenuate withtruncate tendencies. Margin: Palmately lobed, sinuses between laterallobes mostly parallel. Texture, upper surface: Sparsely pubescent.Texture, lower surface: Pubescent; veins prominent. Color: Developingand fully expanded foliage, upper surface: 147A. Developing and fullyexpanded foliage, lower surface: Slightly darker than 147B. Venation,upper and lower surfaces: 147B. Petiole length: About 2 cm. Petiolediameter: About 4 mm. Petiole color, upper and lower surfaces: 147B to147C.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form with elongatedoblong-shaped ray florets. Inflorescences borne on terminals abovefoliage. Disk and ray florets develop acropetally on a capitulum.Inflorescences not fragrant. Plants are typically grown as disbud-types.

Flowering response.—Under natural conditions, plants flower in theautumn/winter in the Northern Hemisphere. At other times of the year,inflorescence initiation and development can be induced under shortday/long night conditions (at least 13.5 hours of darkness). Earlyflowering; plants exposed to two weeks of long day/short nightconditions followed by photoinductive short day/long night conditionsflower about 7.5 weeks later.

Postproduction longevity.—lnflorescences maintain good color andsubstance for about five weeks in an interior environment.

Quantity of inflorescences.—Grown as a disbud-type, only oneinflorescence, the terminal inflorescence, develops per lateral branch.

Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 5 mm. Diameter: About 6 mm. Shape:Oblate. Color: Close to 147A.

Inflorescence diameter.—About 11.75 cm.

Inflorescence depth (height).—About 3 cm.

Diameter of disc.—About 4 mm; inconspicious.

Receptacle diameter.—About 8.5 mm.

Ray florets.—Shape: Elongated oblong. Orientation: Initially upright,then perpendicular to the peduncle. Aspect: Initially incurved, thenrecurved. Length: About 5.75 cm. Corolla tube length: About 1.7 cm.Width: About 1.2 cm. Apex: Emarginate. Base: Fused into a corolla tube.Margin: Entire. Texture: Smooth, glabrous, satiny. Number of ray floretsper inflorescence: About 205 arranged in numerous whorls. Color: Whenopening and fully, opened, upper surface: Close to 155D. When openingand fully opened, lower surface: close to 155D.

Disc florets.—Arrangement: Massed at center of receptacle. Shape:Tubular, elongated. Apex: Five-pointed. Length: About 4 mm. Diameter,apex: About 1 mm. Diameter, base: About 1 mm. Number of disc florets perinflorescence: Less than 20. Color: Immature: Close to 154A. Mature:Apex: Close to 9A. Mid-section: Close to 17A. Base: Close to 155D.Phyllaries: Quantity per inflorescence: About 24. Length: About 1 cm.Width: About 3 mm. Shape: Deltoid. Apex: Acute. Base: Truncate. Margin:Entire. Texture, upper surface: Waxy, smooth. Texture, lower surface:Pubescent. Color, upper surface: Close to 146A. Color, lower surface:Close to 147A. Reproductive organs: Androecium: Present on disc floretsonly. Anther color: Close to 9A. Pollen amount: None observed.Gynoecium: Present on both ray and disc florets. Style color: Close to144B to 144C. Stigma color: Close to 9A.

Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed.

Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common toChrysanthemums has not been observed on plants grown under commercialgreenhouse conditions.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plantnamed ‘Yoolympia’, as illustrated and described.